


Schlaflose Vögel

by mid_sweettalk



Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: F/F, Pharmercy, i don't really know where this is going i just know i fucking love these two
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-04
Updated: 2018-03-24
Packaged: 2018-12-23 19:39:55
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,711
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11996613
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mid_sweettalk/pseuds/mid_sweettalk
Summary: Angela doesn't need to sleep very much. Fareeha, on the other hand, isn't getting nearly enough. Caught between her duty as a doctor and her feelings for the Egyptian captain, Angela has to navigate her new role within Overwatch and her loneliness, while Fareeha struggles with a secret (or two) that could cause a lot of grief to the people she cares about.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Title is German, meaning "Sleepless Birds." 
> 
> I've pretty much run out of fics to read, so I figured I'd try my hand at this ship I love so much. I have half a plan for this; right now, I'm thinking about 2-3 chapters, but we'll see. Let me know what you guys think! I love to hear your thoughts, they encourage me :)

Angela rarely slept. It wasn’t a worrisome thing; her body simply required less sleep because of the nanites she’d developed. Combined with the fact that she desperately needed the extra time to complete her work during the day, she actually had a slight distaste for sleeping. Because of this, though, Angela often found herself with a lot of quiet time around the Watchpoint.  

For instance, it was almost 0500, and Angela was already showered, caffeinated, and working through the day’s research. She’d been sitting in complete silence in the med bay for over half an hour, and was expecting it to continue for at least another two hours. If she were being honest with herself (and she usually wasn’t, with these things), it got lonely sometimes. But, again, she didn’t usually entertain those thoughts.

Angela was truly surprised when Athena announced Captain Fareeha Amari was entering, not even at 0530. She tried to ignore the strange blip in her chest. It occurred every time the captain showed up, and it was becoming a nuisance. Before the recall, the last time Angela had seen Fareeha Amari had been when she wasn’t even 21, the young Egyptian a mere 16. When Jack had first informed her a year ago that Fareeha would be joining the unofficially-reformed Overwatch’s ranks, Angela had not expected… well, _Fareeha_.

She should have known better, looking back; she remembered the Amari daughter as a rambunctious girl, anxious to follow Ana’s and Overwatch’s footsteps and protect the world. However, there couldn’t have been any way for Angela to _not_ be surprised by the tall, built, frankly-gorgeous woman she had grown into.

And here she was, surprised yet again, though not for a very good reason. When Fareeha walked through the med bay doors, Angela was taken aback by the captain’s appearance. Her normally-radiant skin was now dulled. There were unmistakable bags hanging dark under her eyes. If she was being excruciatingly honest, Angela also got the sense that Fareeha hadn’t showered in at least a few days.

As her training helped her to cover up the strange emotions Fareeha brought out in her, so it did with keeping her reaction to herself. Instead of frowning in concern, she smiled brightly at Fareeha and waved for her to sit on the examining table.

“Well, good morning, Captain,” she greeted, smile kept in place as she adopted a teasing tone. “You’re here a bit early for your appointment, aren’t you?” By about three hours, if Angela remembered correctly.

Fareeha’s brow furrowed before a stream of words came out in a rushed breath. “My apologies, Doctor—I didn’t mean to be an inconvenience—I didn’t even think—I was awake already, so I thought—I’ll come back later.” She stood very suddenly and stiffly, in the perfect soldier’s form, excepting the way she avoided Angela’s eyes.

It was admittedly strange to see the captain so… out of it, for lack of a better phrase. She was definitely sleep-deprived, if the dazed look in her eyes meant anything. It was concerning, to say the least—not only as Fareeha’s doctor, but as… a friend?

(When Angela had first joined Overwatch, she had made sure to keep everything professional. She was barely an adult, yet had been treated as one for years already. She was Overwatch’s primary care physician first, and she couldn’t let feelings get in the way. Now, though… if Overwatch was to be different this time around, maybe Angela could change along with it?)

Angela quickly stepped forward to keep the taller woman from leaving the med bay. She softened her smile. “You can call me Angela, and you’re no inconvenience, Captain. You were my first appointment of the day, in any case.” She tried to brush past the failed ice-breaker. “Please, sit, and we’ll get you taken care of. We’re just here for a routine checkup, is that correct?”

It took Fareeha a moment before she moved to sit again, slowly nodding as she did so. She still wouldn’t quite meet Angela’s gaze. It seemed to the doctor that even the tattoo (that familiar, yet distinct tattoo) under Fareeha’s eye was faded with exhaustion. Once she was settled, Angela set to work.

“How have you been feeling lately, Captain? Any complaints?” she asked smoothly as she powered up the bio-scanner. As she input the necessary information to take Fareeha’s vitals accurately, she waited for an answer, but none came. Angela looked back over to see the captain with a faraway look in her drooping eyes. “Captain?”

Fareeha shook her head, as if to clear it, and her eyes focused back on the doctor. “Fareeha,” she said.

Angela couldn’t help the raised eyebrow she gave in reply. Nonetheless, she instructed the bio-scanner to proceed as she said, “I’m sorry?”

Fareeha shook her head again, her eyebrows furrowing the same way they had earlier. “No, I’m sorry. You can call me Fareeha, and, um….” She ran a hand back through her unwashed hair—a nervous habit Angela had only witnessed a few times in the past year. “I haven’t been able to get to sleep very easily, lately.” She quickly dropped her hand, remembering that she wasn’t supposed to move while the bio-scanner looked her over.

Angela made a small, neutral hum as she waited for the machine to process the data scan, trying not to give away the fact that she’d suspected correctly. “How long has this been happening?” she asked after quickly analyzing the results. The captain’s blood pressure was a bit on the high side, for her healthiness. There were other signs that also indicated that Fareeha hadn’t slept in... at least two weeks? That couldn’t be right.

“About a month, now,” Fareeha hesitantly replied. By the way her eyes widened afterwards, Angela assumed that she hadn’t quite succeeded in keeping the shock from her face, this time.

Angela leaned against her desk, giving the other woman her full attention. She fought to make her face more neutral before speaking. “What happens when you can’t sleep?”

Fareeha looked away again, passing her hand through her hair once more. “I get… tense. I can’t get comfortable, no matter what I try, and my mind is just….” She squeezed her eyes shut and let out a frustrated breath. “It’s constantly racing. By the time I’m exhausted enough to fall asleep, it is morning.”

Angela’s chest ached. She held her breath as she watched her own hand reach out—almost of its own volition—and land on Fareeha’s wrist. “What’s going through your mind that keeps you up? Is there anything you’d like to talk about, Fareeha?” Sensing the captain’s hesitation, she continued quickly. “I’m not just saying this as your doctor or therapist. I can just be a… friend.” There was that word again.

Fareeha was studying her with such an intense look that Angela almost had to look away. She forced herself to stay still, though, for some reason determined to show the captain that she was there for her. After a very long moment, Fareeha broke the gaze.

“Thank you, Angela. I appreciate it. But it is nothing in particular—just racing thoughts about anything and everything.”

She was lying, Angela was positive. She didn’t really know how to proceed, though. It was a clear rejection of her offer—should she push, as her doctor? Or respect her privacy, as her friend? And this was with ignoring those _other_ feelings….

“Fareeha, I don’t want to push, but I can’t truly help you if I don’t have the full picture,” is what is ended up saying. She figured it was a compromise between both of her stances.

The sound that escaped Fareeha next nearly broke her heart. Caught between a sardonic laugh and a sob, she said, “God, Angela, I can’t even begin to explain how much I wish I could tell you.” As she curled her fingers in her hair, tears started escaping. Before Angela realized what she was doing, she lifted her other hand to wipe tears away from the _udjat_ with her thumb.

It wasn’t until she met Fareeha’s wide-eyed gaze that she snapped her hand away. Taking a step back as smoothly as she could, she cleared her throat. “If you ever change your mind, the offer is always open.” As soon as the words left her mouth, she cringed—combined her with her embarrassment over the too-soft touches, it sounded like too much of a proposition to her. “If you ever need an ear, or a shoulder, or a licensed physician and psychologist,” she recovered lightly with a smile, “don’t hesitate.”

Fareeha swallowed, cleared her throat, and then smiled in return. “Thank you, Angela. I appreciate it.”

Angela allowed herself to bask in the glow of the captain’s smile for only a moment before forcing herself back into doctor mode. “For now, I can give you some nonaddictive sleeping supplements to take; they’re mostly melatonin, but the nanites have improved its effectiveness. In about 90 percent of cases, patients see results the first night. Is that something you would like to try?”

When Fareeha nodded, Angela turned to a cabinet by her desk. She entered the passcode and prescription information on the screen next to the cabinet door, and a labeled bottle popped out with two weeks’ worth of supplements. She walked back over to Fareeha and handed her the bottle. “Take two tonight, right when you get into bed, and come see me in the morning so we can discuss its results.”

Fareeha nodded, glancing over the label. “Yes, ma’am,” she replied. Angela was happy to see a small smile still remaining on the captain’s face.

“Might I also suggest you take the night for yourself? There is a spa next to the gym that is impeccably clean and yet hardly used, if ever. Why don’t you take a trip to the hot tub for about fifteen minutes and try to relax before bed?” Angela started to file away the results of Fareeha’s scan as she talked, since nothing else had been cause for alarm.

Fareeha laughed. “I have no time for relaxation, Angela. I don’t believe anyone on base does.”

Angela shook her head. “Everyone on this base could do with a bit of downtime. It’s not good for their health to be working nonstop.”

“Everyone, including you?”

Angela looked up to see Fareeha with a smirk and an eyebrow raised in her direction. She breathed out a chuckle. “I am the only exception, actually. My body literally does not need as much sleep or relaxation as the rest of the team.”

Fareeha’s eyebrows dropped to create a crease between them. “It does not mean you _shouldn’t_ take a break simply because you don’t _need_ to. How about this…” She stood up from the examination table and pocketed the medicine. Angela gulped as the captain was suddenly closer once more, now hovering five inches over her. “I will visit the hot tub tonight, if you join me.”

Angela knew her face was on fire immediately, but she could not move her eyes from Fareeha’s. The captain’s smile widened into that open grin that always took Angela’s breath away, even if she didn’t want to admit it. _Verdammt noch mal_ , even with stringy hair and tired eyes, Fareeha Amari was stunning.

What was happening, though? Was Fareeha flirting with her? Or was this her accepting the friendship she’d offered, albeit in a different way than Angela had been expecting?

“Okay.” _Scheisse_. Her body was seemingly not her own around Fareeha. But she couldn’t regret it, since that smile shone even brighter in response.

“Let’s say we meet there at 2300?”

It was still a bit later than the doctor in her wanted for Fareeha, but she could use the extra time to finish some work, anyway. She agreed, and then Fareeha was leaving the med bay.

She didn’t realize that she’d frozen stock-still until Athena spoke to her. “Doctor Ziegler, you have not moved in ten consecutive minutes. Do you require assistance?”

Angela shook herself out of her daze. “No, Athena, I’m quite fine. Thank you, though.”

She returned to her seat at her desk, picking up Fareeha’s file and staring at her name. What had she gotten herself into?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Translations:  
> Verdammt noch mal: Damn it all.  
> Huere: Fuck (Swiss-German slang)


	2. Chapter 2

Ana Amari was alive, and Fareeha was the only one who knew.

It had been almost a month since Ana’s letter came. It kept her up most nights, and she was afraid that it was beginning to become noticeable to the other members of the New Overwatch. The last thing she needed was a dip in her performance, now that she’d finally been able to have her lifelong dream recognized, but sleep simply eluded her.

Mostly, she didn’t know what to do with this information. Part of her wanted to tell Comm— _Jack_ , or even Winston, as her superior officers. Another part of her just wanted to tell _somebody_ , just to share the burden.

The largest part of her won out, though, and kept her from selfishly spilling her mother’s secret. Instead, here she was, lying awake and anxious at three in the morning. She had an appointment with the doctor at 0830, too, and she knew if Dr. Ziegler noticed how tired Fareeha was, she would say something.

A familiar, fluttering feeling took over Fareeha’s chest at the thought of her—she’d thought Dr. Angela Ziegler was the most beautiful woman in the world the very first time she’d laid eyes on her, and that sentiment had never gone away.

Ugh. Maybe she needed to take a walk.

Her clock read 0308 when Fareeha finished pulling on a pair of sweatpants and a lightweight, long-sleeved t-shirt. A jog, instead, maybe; exhausting her body sounded like it might work. She slipped on her running shoes and left her room, taking care to tread lightly until she got away from the dorms.

Time seemed to slow as Fareeha ran, succeeding—at least for a bit—in clearing her head. After a long while, she slowed her pace until she was walking as she had originally intended. The coolness of the complex Overwatch was currently housed in left the sweat to dry on her skin and clothes instead of evaporate, and she was actually starting to feel a bit chilly.

It was with this realization that Fareeha finally started to take note of her surroundings. She couldn’t help but let out an incredulous breath of laughter, as _of course_ her subconscious had taken her directly to the good doctor’s med bay.

She shook her head at herself. How had a silly teenage crush morphed into such a sickeningly sweet, unrequited love?

Fareeha sighed before stepping forward. In any case, she was positive she was the earliest appointment the doctor had that day, and surely Dr. Ziegler wouldn’t mind her coming in a bit early to get it out of the way… right?

That fluttering feeling came back, an annoying reminder. Fareeha took a deep breath before stopping in front of the med bay doors. “Athena,” she called out, “I’d like to see Dr. Ziegler, please.”

“Yes, Captain Amari,” Athena answered immediately. “Dr. Ziegler is available.” The doors opened, and Fareeha tried her best to keep her chin high as she walked through.

* * *

Fareeha had been about two seconds away from a full breakdown when Angela had asked for the full story. The only thing that had grounded her was the fact that the most beautiful woman in the world had been wiping her tears.

So, okay, she probably shouldn’t have been so forward with the hot tub invitation, but something about Angela’s reaction told her that she wasn’t in the wrong. It had seemed like the doctor had been dropping hints since Fareeha walked in, and although she could very well be misreading things… if there was even the slightest chance that the woman she’d been in love with since she was sixteen could want to be with her, Fareeha wasn’t going to let her mother get in the way.

The day passed in a blur. She took Angela’s advice and kept the day for herself, but she ended up spending most of her time in the gym working off her excited energy, anyway. She made sure to shower, washing herself twice to be safe.

That night, she was ready at 2230, in swim trunks and a dark blue bikini top. She studied herself in the mirror for a while, particularly focused on her tattoo—the one she’d gotten not only as a reminder of her mother’s lessons, but in her memory. Was it a lie now, this mark that the doctor had caressed so caringly?

When she next glanced at the time, Fareeha had three minutes before she was supposed to meet Angela. She frantically ran around her room to collect her towel and shoes. As she reached for the door, Athena began speaking to her.

“Captain Amari, Dr. Ziegler is—”

Not paying attention in her hurry, Fareeha opened the door right as Athena said, “outside,” and there, in fact, stood Dr. Angela Ziegler with her hand raised to knock. They each jumped back about a foot before laughing nervously.

“I’m sorry to intrude—”

“I didn’t mean to scare—”

They stopped stumbling over each other’s words and laughed again. Fareeha noticed that Angela now had that same adorable blush she’d had earlier in the med bay. She could feel herself smiling widely—it was the same smile she always seemed to get around Angela. She gestured for the doctor to speak first.

“I’m sorry,” she said with a sweet smile. “I thought it would make sense for us to walk together, since we’re only a couple doors away from each other.”

Fareeha felt her heart flutter once again. She was _adorable_. “Of course! I would love to walk with you.” She tried to tell herself that she was locking all thoughts of her mother away in her room as she shut the door behind her. Thankfully, it wasn’t too hard to focus her attention on Angela when she was right next to her.

As they started walking, a silence fell over them. Fareeha found it strange—not the silence itself, but the fact that she didn’t feel the need to end it, at least for the moment. She glanced at Angela out of the corner of her eye to try and garner whether she was feeling the same way, but she couldn’t see well without being obvious.

Angela broke the silence after a few moments, anyway. “How was the rest of your day, after our appointment? If I may say so, you already look like you’re feeling at least a bit better than before.”

Fareeha turned to face her now, heart warming at the sight of Angela’s soft smile. She gave one of her own in return. “Well, I took some good advice from my doctor and took a break today.”

“Oh, really?” Angela said, shock and slight disbelief apparent in her tone. “What did you do all day, then?”

Fareeha faced forward and scratched the back of her neck. “Ah, well I wasn’t _working_ , which was the true intention, so…”

Angela giggled, a hand coming up to hover over her mouth. “You were in the gym all day, weren’t you?” When Fareeha only pursed her lips in reply, Angela let out a full-on laugh. “You soldiers, you’re all the same. You can never just sit still, can you?”

Fareeha scoffed, indignance overcoming her slight embarrassment. “I don’t think you can be one to lecture me on that, Dr. Ziegler. If I recall, you were in need of a break for yourself, as well. At least I actually did no work today.”

Angela hummed as they approached the gym doors. “You do have a point there.” The doors opened automatically for them, and Fareeha let Angela through first. “How chivalrous,” Angela teased, causing Fareeha’s face to turn a deep color once more.

With Angela in front of her now, Fareeha finally took notice of what she was wearing. As they crossed the empty gym to get to the spa doors, Angela’s thigh-length coverup dress barely covered her ass, and her long legs were completely on display. Fareeha had to quickly stop herself from bumping into Angela from behind, as she’d accidentally started staring.

Angela offered her a distraction by opening the spa doors and announcing, “Here we are!” The spa was small and clean, but not very well used, true to Angela’s testament. Everything still looked brand new, but the complex was decades old.

The hot tub was rather large, and not currently bubbling. Fareeha had to admit that the steam rising from the water made it look extremely inviting.

Then Angela placed the towel she’d been carrying on a nearby chair and lifted her coverup over her head. Underneath the white mesh-like material was a gold and black bikini. Fareeha felt like she was sixteen again, ogling her crush from across the room.

Angela cleared her throat, jerking Fareeha out of her daze. She lifted her eyes back to Angela’s face, which was now glowing as red as her own probably was. Part of her was sorry, and she voiced as much in apology, but… “You’re just so beautiful. I’ve always thought so.”

Angela bit her lip and tucked some of her hair behind her ear. “I appreciate it, Fareeha. And really, I don’t mind at all.” Fareeha’s jaw went a bit slack at the pointed look Angela gave her.

There was no way she could be misreading all of this, right?

Angela turned away from her and walked to the hot tub, setting the dial on the wall beside it to fifteen minutes and waiting for the machine to start. When the water began to bubble and splash, Angela stepped down into the hot tub. She sank down until her shoulders were covered and, with a relaxed-sounding sigh, floated over to sit on the bench.

Fareeha was quick to follow, placing her own towel next to Angela’s and nearly running into the water. She hummed lowly as the warmth enveloped her. Fareeha followed Angela’s lead and dropped to immerse herself up to her neck, sitting on the opposite side of the circular tub. She leaned her head back for a moment and enjoyed the feeling of her muscles relaxing.

“Thank you for this, Angela,” she said with her eyes closed. “I never would have come here if not for you. I really needed this day, apparently.” When Fareeha righted her head and opened her eyes, it wasn’t to what she expected.

Angela had a very determined look in her eyes. She tilted her head when Fareeha met her gaze, and then she was slowly moving closer to her. Fareeha sat up straighter in the tub, shivering as the air hit her shoulders. “Angela?” she said, but she didn’t receive an answer.

Instead, Angela maintained eye contact with her as she moved closer, placed her hands on Fareeha’s shoulders, and straddled her lap. Fareeha felt like she couldn’t move, not even breathe, or she might shatter this dream she had found herself in.

“Fareeha,” Angela said so softly, hands traveling up to rest in her hair. “Tell me to stop.”

“And if I don’t want to?” Fareeha didn’t know how she was able to speak when she couldn’t feel herself breathing, still. But that was okay, because Angela was kissing her.

Fareeha’s hands quickly grabbed onto Angela’s hips, even though her brain had yet to catch up with what exactly was happening. Sixteen-year-old her probably used this as a fantasy, and yet here she was, living it?

She moaned as Angela’s hands pulled her close to kiss her harder. Fareeha’s grip tightened on Angela’s hips, causing her to grind down onto Fareeha’s lap.

_How is this happening?_ was the thought that made Fareeha pull back, as much as she just wanted to enjoy this before it disappeared. “Wait, I… why?” she stumbled out breathlessly, struggling to focus with Angela’s hands still running through her hair. She couldn’t help but glance down to Angela’s kiss-swollen lips every few seconds.

“Well,” Angela said softly, hands moving to tickle the baby hairs at the nap of Fareeha’s neck as she talked, “I’ve been thinking about you all day. Honestly, it’s been going on for quite some time, but I just realized that you feel the same way. And we’ve both been so blind,” Angela let out a small laugh, “that I knew you weren’t going to do something any time soon, so… I took it upon myself. I hope you don’t mind…?”

“Are you kidding?” Fareeha said incredulously. She felt a moment’s hesitation, but something told her to dive in head first. “Angela, I’ve been in love with you since I was sixteen. You do know how incredible you are, right?”

The look Angela gave her in response was probably the softest Fareeha had ever seen. Angela brought a hand back up to cup Fareeha’s cheek and slowly leaned in to kiss her once more. She could feel Angela inhale deeply as they kissed, before she pulled back and breathed, “I love you. Make love to me,” over Fareeha’s lips.

Fareeha got to watch in awe as Angela came above her, riding her fingers and gripping the edge of the hot tub. With the way she sang her name, Fareeha knew she had to hear it again. She lifted Angela from the water and shakily walked over to lay her down on one of the lounge chairs nearby. The second time Angela came, Fareeha came with her, grinding against Angela’s thigh and moaning against her mouth.

After their heartbeats started to calm, Angela bit her lip and looked up at her. “Would you… like to come stay with me tonight?”

Fareeha took in this sight, of nearly-naked Angela wrapped in her arms, pupils wide and lips swollen. The only thing she could think of that would make her happier would be waking up next to her.

“I’d love to,” Fareeha whispered against Angela’s lips.

Needless to say, they both slept very soundly that night.

* * *

The next morning, Angela and Fareeha sat down for breakfast together, politely greeting the other agents in the room. They hadn’t been worried about anyone being suspicious, so they were just trying to act as normal, wanting to see how long they could keep this to themselves.  

…But then Hana walked in.

“Hey, Ange, ‘Reeha!” she greeted loudly, making a beeline for the coffee pot. “Did you sleep well? I bet you slept as well as me, ‘cause I had the _best_ midnight workout—oh, wait. No, that wasn’t me. I _couldn’t_ work out because _you guys_ were! That’s right! Pretty loudly, actually. Anyways,” she took a sip of coffee from her procured mug, “you’ll have to let me know how the spa was, although I’m not quite sure I’ll want to use the hot tub, anymore. See you later, though!”

As Hana left, Angela and Fareeha were blushing madly. Torbjörn guffawed, along with Reinhardt, who lifted his own mug of coffee in a congratulatory gesture through his laughter. Lena let out an, “It’s about damn time!” on her own way out, and Satya had a small smile on her face as she took in the whole scene, herself. Angela and Fareeha worriedly looked to Jack, but his expression was blank as he silently tilted his own cup their way before taking a bite of his food.

Fareeha turned back to Angela with a smile and covered her hand with one of her own. Angela met her gaze with an airy laugh and shook her head as she turned her hand over to squeeze Fareeha’s.

Ana briefly came to mind, but it was different from before. For once, a bit of hope lit up in Fareeha’s chest. Angela returned her feelings, and now her mother was alive to see their future together. Soon, she would be able to tell not only Angela, but the rest of the agents about her mother’s return. Overwatch was back, and they were going to save humanity from this second Omnic Crisis. She was surrounded by people who cared for her, and she cared for them.

Everything felt brighter.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for those of you who commented and left kudos! I know it's been a while lol but hey at least I finished it, right? Hope y'all enjoyed! Let me know what you think :)


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